In the Desert Shadows
by the rabid plot bunny
Summary: Shikaku Nara had been looking forward to sizing up the leadership of Suna but hadn't expected his attentions to be focused on the Kazekage's sister. Temari was unlike any kunoichi he'd ever met. He wanted to figure her out, and he had a hunch that she was interested in figuring him out as well, if her unrelenting gaze said anything. ShikakuxTemari
1. Chapter 1

Hey all, this was inspired by the amazing Unmotivated Genius and their story Forbidden Fruit, so if you haven't read that already, go read it! I know that was supposed to be a crack pairing and don't get me wrong, I'm a ShikaTema girl for life but man, it just got to me and I just couldn't let this one go so this monster of a fic just happened ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

In the past (wayy back in the day when I last published) I've had trouble with getting a big old idea into my head, starting it, then letting it die before even coming close to finishing, so I've done myself the favor of waiting the vast majority of this before putting up the first chapter and am uploading it all at the same time (so if anyone ends up reading this, you're welcome, I've saved you the wait/frustration of my own flakiness). The story comes to a natural pause/semi-ending at chap 11, which is completed, but I will be adding more after that as well, just wanted to give you a fully formed story line before posting!

Enjoy! 

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"Tsunade-sama," Shikaku greeted the Hokage as he walked into her office.

"Good morning Shikaku," she responded, "I know it has been a while since we have sent you out of Konoha on a mission, given how much we've needed you here in the village, but we are sending you with a team to Suna on a diplomatic mission."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at this. It had indeed been a long time since he had left the village. It seemed there was a never-ending stream of small crises that meant that the Hokage's chief strategist and close advisor was always needed on hand.

"I'm sure you understand the importance of this mission," Tsunade continued, fiddling with the papers on her desk as she spoke, "our relations with Suna have been rocky at best over the past few years, but an alliance with them is vital to maintain peace and stability in the region."

She passed him a file, which he flipped open and began to read over. He would be negotiating terms of trade and free travel between the two nations, but clearly the main purpose of the trip was symbolic. What better way to prove trust than to send a top strategist with only a small team of chunins to a foreign nation. He had done this type of mission before and it generally involved just as much tea drinking and sight-seeing as it did negotiation, and no fighting whatsoever if all went well.

"The expected timeline of the mission is one week," she continued, "and in turn Suna will be sending a party to visit Konoha in a month's time. Is everything clear?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," he responded, bowing to her before leaving. He would look over the file more closely later, before heading off the next morning. He was glad to have the opportunity to travel outside of the village.

He loved Konoha of course, but watching his son come and go constantly seeing new places was reminding him of the days before taking his position as a strategist, when he too spent most of his time traveling. As "troublesome" as missions were according to his unmotivated son, they kept him on his toes. The new situations were always intellectually stimulating. Each mission was a problem to solve, like a game of shogi, except more dynamic.

"So, when will the Konoha delegates be arriving?" Temari asked as she walked into Gaara's office. She knew that the team should be arriving in the next few days. Ever since Gaara had become Kazekage, Temari had taken a leading role in the country's diplomatic relations… which unfortunately meant lots of bureaucracy and long meetings.

"They should be arriving this evening," her brother responded, "However, it seems there is a sandstorm coming in from the east that will intercept the route from Konoha to Suna. They are most likely unaware of the storm, and are unaccustomed to desert travel, so I would like you go out to meet them and escort them the rest of their way to the village."

Temari smirked at this. Of course the Konoha nin would be caught off guard by the storm. Even in the best of conditions, the land of wind was harsher than the forests of the fire country. Vegetation was sparse, with no towering trees to shade you as you traveled. Many foreign shinobi were also slowed and tired by traveling through the sand as they didn't realize you should to concentrate the chakra in your feet, much like when walking on water, to avoid slippage. Water was a precious commodity, with creeks that trickled during the wetter season but disappeared during the dry season, and very few natural springs. Not to mention the giant scorpions.

She had spent her fair share of time working border patrol before her promotion to jonin. On border patrol, you basically spent your time rescuing travelers and merchants from their own stupidity and ill-preparedness. Last time, she had ended up carrying two dehydrated spice merchants to the village and after a day in the hospital, they had even had the gall to complain that she hadn't bothered to carry their wares as well.

"Hai, Gaara," Temari responded, "I will leave immediately to catch them before the storm does."

Temari left the Kazekage's office and went to grab some supplies. A days' rations, extra water, a few vials of scorpion and snake venom antidote… She hoped the Konoha nin had adequately prepared but she took the extra precautions anyway.

She tightened the red obi around her kimono, attaching her tessen to her back, and headed out into the desert.

Shikaku headed out the next morning with his team. He had worked with Izumo and Kotetsu before. He appreciated Izumo's analytical skills, and it was always useful to have a water user around in the desert, and he and Kotetsu worked well together.

It was about a day's journey from Konoha to the border of the Wind country, where the trees gave way to desert. Though they could have traveled farther into wind before losing the light, Shikaku opted to camp on their side of the border. Camping in the desert was not pleasant. The sand got everywhere, and the wind could get strong enough to blow your tent away. He preferred the familiar geography of the forest.

The next morning, they headed off at dawn. He knew that travel through the desert would be strenuous for them all, but especially the less experience chunin, and hoped to arrive at the gates of the village before nightfall.

The sun rose into the clear sky as they ran. It was barely mid-morning before the heat become oppressive.

"Ah," Kotetsu sighed when they finally took a break and sat down to eat lunch, "no wonder sand nin always look so grim when I've seen them in Konoha, they have to travel through this!"

"What, you exhausted already?" Shikaku chuckled. It's true that Sand nin had quite the reputation for being stoic and severe in nature.

"At least there are some clouds on the horizon," Izumo mentioned, taking a sip of water, "it would be nice to get some shade for a bit. And there's a bit of a breeze now."

'Clouds?' Shikaku thought to himself. They were in the middle of Suna's dry season, and there was a very low probability of cloud coverage at this time of year. He looked to the horizon and noted that there was indeed what seemed to be a cloud. More likely it was sand kicked up by the winds, which were indeed picking up in speed as Izumo had noted.

"Troublesome…Let's go. We need to pick up the pace," Shikaku stated, getting up from where he had been seated, "if that's a sandstorm on the horizon, we need to beat it to Suna. We don't want to be trapped out here with just our tents."

"Shit," Kotetsu grumbled, as the team hopped back into action and headed onward.

They all knew that a sandstorm could shred their tent if it was bad enough. Shikaku started to plan in his head what they would do if caught in the storm. If only Yamato were around… the wood user could have easily built them a more durable shelter to wait out the storm. Their best bet as it was was to keep moving through it.

The winds continued to rise, kicking up more and more sand as they ran. The wind resistance, the limited visibility, and the irritation from the sand was really starting to slow them down.

'Damn it,' Shikaku thought. Shikaku took a piece of cloth from his flak jacket, making an impromptu mask to keep the sand out of his nose and mouth. They weren't even in the thick of the storm yet. The menacing sand cloud that had looked so far away on the horizon was fast approaching.

Temari ran through the desert, taking the route towards Konoha. What had started out as a calm day became more blustery as she headed away from the shelter of the village walls and towards the growing storm. She felt at home as she ran. A sandstorm was a force to be reckoned with but she was a skilled wind user and had dealt with them plenty of times before.

As the sand started to pick up she reached behind her for her tessen. Snapping it open, she swung it in front of herself, channeling her chakra and using the momentum of the natural winds around her to clear the cloud of sand from her path.

Visibility was so limited because of the storm, that she sensed the Konoha nin before she saw them. They must be struggling, she was sure, but from their chakra signature it was clear that they were unharmed. She smirked to herself, nothing like a sand storm to facilitate a dramatic entrance.

She took a moment to gauge the velocity of the wind then made few hand seals, releasing a burst of chakra as she swung the giant fan upwards. A cyclone began to grow before her, moving towards the group.

The group of Konoha nin were barely able to run in the high winds of the storm, but they came to a halt, bracing themselves as an even fiercer wind slammed into them. Shikaku went into high alert, it was clearly a chakra infused wind.

He squinted his eyes trying to see through the sand at what they might have come up against, and to his surprise, the sand began to clear, even as the wind whipped around them. As the air cleared, he saw a shinobi gliding towards them on what seemed to be a giant fan.

The wind blew harder for a moment but then dropped off. It was completely still, yet the wind continued to spin around them. Shikaku was impressed. This young kunoichi had singlehandedly created an eye in the storm raging around them.

The sand-nin hopped off her fan, and strode towards them.

"You are the diplomatic team from Konoha, I assume?" she asked eyeing them over. Kotetsu and Izumo had both drawn kunai, poised to take action.

"Yes, I am Nara Shikaku, Jonin commander and advisor to the Godaime Hokage" Shikaku had not drawn a weapon. He recognized this girl from the chunin exams. How could he forget the kunoichi that had faced off with his son.

"Sabaku no Temari," she responded with a glimmer in her eyes. 'Nara…' she thought to herself. No doubt the father of that lazy Konoha nin she had faced in the chunin exams, and who had been assigned as her escort when she last visited the Leaf.

"I was sent by Gaara to escort you to Suna. We should get moving. I can keep us in the eye of the storm as we travel, but the faster we get out of the storm the better. My chakra will run out eventually and then we'll be facing the elements on our own."

"Thank you, Temari-san, I'm sure we can get out of the storm long before your chakra level becomes an issue," Shikaku nodded to the blond nin. He had heard of her reputation, which had only grown since he watched her battle his son at the chunin exams. He could see that her power and control had grown since then.

They took off again, now with Temari leading the group. Her whirlwind wrapped around them, keeping the sand and the high winds out of their way as they moved easily through the storm. Shikaku noted the ease of her movement across the sand, and her superb chakra control as she ran. Her feet did not sink at all into the dunes, but she flitted along the surface, periodically swinging her fan to whip the winds around them back up to speed.

Her kimono fluttered in the wind as she ran, a long slit kept it from hindering her movement and revealing her toned legs. She was powerful yet graceful, and clearly in her element. She reminded him somewhat of the deer, running through the forest of his clan's compound: somewhat wild, allowing you only a glimpse before disappearing into the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Unhindered by the storm, they reached the gates of Suna in what seemed like no time at all. Temari was relieved, her chakra was running quite low, though she would never have admitted that to the group. Luckily, the storm had not been moving the same direction as the travelers. She wasn't sure she would've been able to keep up her jutsu for the whole journey.

The Konoha nin did their best to hide their fatigue as well, but it was clear that all four were exhausted.

"Welcome to Suna," Temari said with a tired smile, "I will show you to your accommodations for the night. Please rest and tomorrow morning I will come to show you to the meeting and negotiations can begin."

Shikaku, Izumo, and Kotetsu were all relieved to hear that they could turn in for the day. The Hokage had given them a generous timeline on the mission. While the trade negotiations could be completed in a day, this was all about building trust and making good impressions. Meeting with the Kazekage exhausted and irritated by a long day of outrunning a sandstorm was definitely not the way to make a good first impression.

"I have asked the staff to bring dinner up to your rooms this evening," Temari informed them as they entered the building, "and tomorrow after the meetings I will show you around the village so you can get your bearings."

The Konoha nin thanked her, and they parted ways for the evening.

"Some kunoichi," Kotetsu remarked, "It's not every day you see a jutsu like that, not to mention how long she maintained it!"

"Say Nara, isn't that the chick that fought your son at the chunin exams before the sand went ape shit on us and attacked the village?" Izumo inquired.

"Izumo!" Shikaku shot him a harsh look, "You should know better that to speak of our allies like that, particularly our allies that have welcomed us to their village and are currently hosting us so graciously during negotiations!"

"My apologies, Shikaku…" Izumo replied sheepishly, "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"You both know the importance of this mission," Shikaku reminded them, "We are here first and foremost to build trust with the sand. Every action, every word you speak reflects directly on Konoha and the Hokage! Now get some rest both of you."

Shikaku settled into his room. The chunin were good fighters but still had a lot to learn, especially when it came to tact. They were still young and inexperienced both on the battlefield and off, and reminded him of his own son, Shikamaru, and his teammates. Their generation had yet to live through a war. He had fought in the Third Shinobi World War when he was practically still a child, which had battle hardened him, but also given him a respect for the art of diplomacy.

During the war his team had been sent to deliver a request for a peace treaty to Iwa, and he knew just how delicate negotiation could be. While some shinobi thought it cowardly to not resolve conflict on the battlefield, every opportunity to end a conflict through negotiation meant lives saved. Each opportunity for diplomacy was hard fought and easily ruined. Offending the Sand now with a thoughtless comment was not an option.

He sighed. Young men were so hot-headed.

Shikaku took off his sandals, dumping sand onto the floor of the room. He chuckled. It had been a long time since he had traveled to the land of wind and he had forgotten how the damn sand just got everywhere. As he removed his deer skin coat and flak jacket, more sand spilled onto the floor.

He slipped off his shirt to reveal his fishnet undershirt. 'Perhaps this is why she wears those fishnet leggings' he thought to himself, noting how it was the only layer of clothing that hadn't filled with sand.

After eating and showering, he climbed into bed. He wanted to be sharp for the morning.

As promised, the next morning Temari met the three shinobi at the inn and guided them to the Kazekage's office, where the day's meeting would be held. She narrated the journey as they walked, pointing out the morning market, a small weapons shop, a cluster of stalls of local artisans, and of course, noting each turn they took on the path to their destination.

"The way is quite simple," Temari continued as they approached the Kazekage's office, "Suna is a smaller village than Konoha, so you are unlikely to get lost. While I am here as your escort for the duration of your stay, you are of course free to explore the city as you wish."

She spoke with sweetness, but Shikaku could see that her eyes were laughing when she mentioned that they 'probably wouldn't get lost.' Of course she knew that as shinobi, they were meticulously noting the details of their surroundings, creating a mental map of their new environment in case any threat might arise.

They entered the Kazekage's office to find that Gaara no Sabaku, the Godaime Kazekage, was already there, along with Kankuro, his brother and bodyguard, as well as a few members of the Suna Council he did not recognize.

After formal introductions were made, they sat across the table from each other and laid out their terms. Izumo and Kotetsu stayed out of the negotiating process completely, as they were really there in support of Shikaku in case of a breakdown in amicable relations, which was highly unlikely. Shikaku could see their eyes glazing over as the meeting dragged on. Their posture was impeccable though, he noted. 'Well, I guess I got through to them at least a little bit about making a good impression,' he thought to himself.

Negotiations were fairly straightforward as both parties wanted to facilitate freedom of trade between the two nations. The only sticking point seemed to be the responsibility to patrolling the territories on the border of the nation.

"A shinobi escort for all bands of merchants traveling to the Sand?" Shikaku retorted to the most recent demand of the Suna councilmembers, "That is far from free trade as we had discussed. That is a heavy burden to place on the Leaf and will surely inhibit trade between our nations, which, of course, is counterproductive to our shared objective."

"We cannot, in good faith, allow unprepared, untrained parties to enter the desert," Temari, who had been silently observing up until this point in the discussion finally interjected, "As I know you experienced first hand on your journey here, traversing the desert is no trivial matter."

Her tone was serious, but her eyes were bright, and held Shikaku's gaze.

"If the top strategist of the Leaf can be caught unaware in a Sandstorm, imagine the trouble a trader might find their way into. As you so rightly noted, Suikaku, providing protection does create a financial burden and a strain on the resources of the village. While Suna has regular border patrol, we cannot be held responsible to escort all parties from the leaf, nor can we allow negligence to result in the injury, loss of goods, or death of any citizens of the Fire country within our borders."

 _Damn…_ Shikaku thought to himself, _throwing my own words right back at me._ Of course the kunoichi was right, and there was no way of negotiating his way out of this, especially after his own team of highly trained ninja were in need of support on their journey.

"You raise a very good point, Temari-san," he replied, not breaking her gaze, "I have no instructions from the Hokage on what resources we would have available for this endeavor, but I will include it in my report. I'm sure she will be happy to discuss it with you further on your visit to Konoha."

The meeting carried on, until Gaara called for lunch to be served to the group.

Shikaku couldn't help but watch Temari as she ate, and chatted with the councilmember next to her. She was clearly the daughter of a Kazekage, a member of a prestigious clan. The way she carried herself was captivating, each of her movements seemed almost ceremonial.

"Thank you for your hard work," Gaara said at the end of the meal, "We will resume talks tomorrow. If you like, Temari is available to show you around the village."

"And I'm off to the training fields" interjected Kankuro brusquely, "if anyone is interested in a spar."

With Shikaku's permission, Kotetsu and Izumo decided to join him.

"Alright! It's been too long since I faced off with a Konoha nin," Kankuro broke the tension of the long meeting with his relaxed demeanor. The chunins headed off, leaving him with Temari.

They began their walk through the village at a leisurely pace. Like she had in the morning, Temari spoke about the different shops, restaurants, and teahouses as they passed, often adding comments on aspects of Suna food or culture.

He enjoyed walking with her, and found himself observing her movements just as much as the sights in the village. She wore a plain black kimono, much like the one she had worn out into the sandstorm the previous day, but this one was made of a fine silk. It was not flashy but if you gave it a closer look, it was clearly very high end. The understated elegance was what he would have expected from a member of such a prestigious Suna family.

She offered to show him the old town, a proposition that he accepted readily. He was interested in the history of the village, which was older than Konoha. The old town was a maze of winding passages through buildings built in the traditional style, out of earth and clay.

"And this is the oldest bathhouse in Suna," she said as they passed a plain but well-kept building, "They are quite different from your baths in Konoha, but I would encourage you to go if you are interested, it can be quite relaxing. We are a desert nation and our traditions reflect that. Water isn't always a resource we can count on having in abundance so people use it quite sparingly. When I was younger, there was a severe drought, and my parents would take us to the traditional bath houses as our water was cut off most of the time."

"The house of the Kazekage had no running water?" He was surprised at her revelation.

"It was a bad drought," Temari shrugged, and they carried on. He knew that Suna nin didn't get their tough reputation for no reason. Their country was less rich in certain natural resources than the Fire country and most of their land was unsuitable for farming. They made up for this with their resilience and strength.

For most of their walk, Shikaku let her do all the talking. He had read about Suna, but enjoyed hearing her speak about it. Her voice had a soothing quality that drew him in. She clearly cared very deeply about her village.

Finally, they found their way back to the inn.

"Thank you, Temari-san for showing me around the village," Shikaku said, adding with a small smirk, "I had heard of your fierce reputation on the battlefield, but not of your graciousness as a hostess."

Temari smiled back at him, much too sweetly, and he felt the sarcasm in her response "It is my honor to receive you, Shikaku-san, and to carry out my duty to my village as a kunoichi."

Then on a more serious note, she added, "You've met my brothers. They don't have the temperament for diplomatic work. I always trained alongside Kankuro growing up until my father began to pull me aside to teach me flower arrangement while Kankuro had more time to master tai-jutsu…" she trailed off, the sharp edge of resentment clearly cutting through the smiling mask on her face.

"I've never had the joy of a daughter but I've seen many Konoha kunoichi grow and become valuable assets to their village through their specialized training."

"Of course, Shikaku-san," Temari responded "the weaponization of femininity is a force to be reckoned with. It is simply not my preferred method of combat. I would rather face my opponent head on."

"Yet not all of a Shinobi's work are battles," Shikaku countered, "there is our mission for example."

"Quite true, Shikaku-san" Temari conceded, clearly not wanting to talk more about the subject.

Shikaku did not press on. He had not meant to delve into the politics of gender in ninja training, it was a contentious topic that no one really liked to discuss. Though many viewed it as simply a part of tradition, to teach kunoichi the more feminine arts of how to entertain company in a formal setting, how to serve tea to nobles, etcetera others argued that it was an archaic practice designed solely to groom kunoichi for missions of seduction.

The weaponization of femininity… and accurate assessment, he thought, mulling over Temari's words in his head. While that type of mission was quite common a generation ago, it had become rare in Konoha over the years, and had dropped to almost zero once Tsunade had become Hokage.

Shikaku wondered what the norms were in Suna about those missions though he dared not ask Temari. For one, he knew better than to inquire about information on the village's confidential missions. While Konoha leadership hoped one day to be able to openly share information with the Sand, their relationship was still tenuous and new, and he would not misstep so gravely as to seem to be fishing for intelligence while on a mission of goodwill.

In any case, he did not want to aggravate Temari, who seemed unwilling to discuss the subject. She was clearly an honorable shinobi very dedicated to her village and her duty. However she was so outspoken he wondered if she would consent to taking such a mission if her village demanded it of her. He was curious how the kunoichi would choose between her sense of duty and her pride, both of which were clearly strong.

They reached the entrance of the hotel, and Temari bowed slightly to him and began to leave.

"May I invite you to stay for some tea?" Shikaku asked, "I am here to learn about Suna and would love to discuss further the customs of your village."

"I'm sorry but for now I must take my leave," Temari responded. "I am meeting my brothers for training."

"Perhaps you can join me for training tomorrow" She added, seeing his disappointment, "I haven't yet showed you our training grounds, nor what a Suna Kunoichi can do beyond the art of hospitality."

"It would be my pleasure," Shikaku bowed to her, and she took her leave. Even better than talking over tea, he would to be able to engage her in as she called it, her 'preferred method of combat.' If her fighting skills were nearly as sharp as her wit—and he knew they were, remembering her performance at the chuunin exams—it would be quite an interesting day.

He watched her walk off before heading into the hotel. She walked with such confidence, giving off an aura of power, recalling her fierce reputation and her impressive lineage. The subtle swing of her hips added a sensuous edge. He had never met a Kunoichi quite like her.

Temari headed off to the training field, eager to let off some steam. She was in no mood to play the part of the demure hostess any longer that day. It wasn't Shikaku that was boring her, to the contrary, she found him to be quite engaging, unlike his lazy son. Normally she would go directly to train after any council meetings. She respected their authority as the village elders, but the slow pace of discussion and the unending bureaucracy got on her nerves.

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Thank you for reading!

When I think of Suna, I always think of the Medinas of Morocco, thus the talk about the maze-like old town, and the baths I'm imagining are a sort of hamam... just to explain where I'm coming from there a little bit.


	3. Chapter 3

As promised, Temari came by the inn the next morning, barely past sunrise, to take Shikaku to the training grounds.

"So are we sparring or what?" Temari asked, her tone much more casual than the day before. It was clear that she was more relaxed on the training field than she was as an escort. Shikaku wondered if she even noticed how much her demeanor changed as her face lit up once they got to the field.

"I'd love to after warming up," Shikaku said.

Temari nodded and headed to the middle of the field to begin. Taking the fan from her back, she began to run through katas. He had never seen someone who wielded a weapon quite like hers, and was curious about how she trained. He did some basic exercises to warm up his muscles, but mostly observed the blond Kunoichi. It was almost as though she was dancing, her fan an extension of her arm as she twisted through the motions of the kata. As she continued, he could feel her start to activate her chakra, and saw the winds pick up around her.

He began to strategize as he watched her move. If they were going to spar, he wasn't sure how he would best her in this particular arena. There were no trees or nearby buildings, leaving him nothing that cast a long enough shadow to help him. Though she was a long-range fighter by specialty, he would have to get within range for his clan's signature jutsu. Troublesome. This would not be a good match for him, but in any case he was more fascinated to see her fight first hand than he was interested in besting her.

"Ready, old man," she called, with a playful look in her eyes "I hope you're not as much of a wimp as your son."

"Ready when you are, Temari-san," he said, though really thinking about how favored she was in this match up.

Before he knew it, a massive gust of wind came his way, kicking up sand into his face as he braced himself against the attack, before pulling out two kunai and flinging them towards her.

She scoffed at this, swinging her fan to knock them off course. As soon as the gust of wind hit the kunai, they exploded. She hadn't seen the explosion tags that were attached to the kunai and cursed herself for her inattention.

The kunai were meant only as a diversion, and in the moment of distraction Shikaku had gone on the move, reaching out his shadow to try to capture the kunoichi, but not coming nearly close.

'Just like the chunin exams' she thought to herself, 'stay out of shadow range and you're in the clear' she assured herself. However, she knew that it was really more complicated than that. Shikaku was an even better strategist than Shikamaru and she was racking her brain for what strategies he might be using to back her into a corner.

Her senses on high alert, she sent a pulse of chakra infused wind at Shikaku before launching into another attack. With a massive sweep of her fan, she cut the few cacti in the field, leaving nothing left that could cast a shadow he could use to trap her, other than a few low lying rocks and the two shinobi themselves.

As her onslaught continued Shikaku was getting tired. You couldn't dodge or block wind like you could a kunai, even an indirect hit could do damage and he felt some stinging cuts on his arms.

"Your clock is ticking, Nara!" Temari shouted gleefully. Every minute that passed, the sun rose higher in the sky and his shadow shrunk, putting the shadow user at a disadvantage.

They danced on the field, dodging and attacking each other in turn. Temari more or less stood her ground, adjusting her position only to avoid the blast radius of the explosive tags and the tendrils of shadow he sent grasping out towards her. He was looking worse for wear but she was still unscathed.

"You could use some target practice, it seems your aim is off today," Temari jeered, as he released a shuriken with deadly accuracy, only to be swept away be another gust of wind.

The field was littered with kunai that had been swept away by her tessen.

"Oh really?"

Shikaku brought his hands up to form a seal. She made to launch another gust of cutting winds at her opponent, but found she was paralyzed.

"How?" She strained against the jutsu, surprised and unsure where she had misstepped. He stood a good 30 meters away from her, clearly out of range, his shadow far from touching her.

Without taking a step, his shadow stretched, reaching all the way to the kunoichi's feet. She growled through her teeth. He had been bluffing about his range the whole battle, holding back to make her underestimate him. But she still didn't understand how she'd been immobilized before he ensnared her in his shadow.

He walked towards her and picked up one of the stray kunai discarded from their battle that lay by her feet. Picking it up, she clearly saw a tag attached. She cursed herself for not being more careful. She hadn't even noticed the tag but even if she had, she wouldn't have thought anything of it—just a dupe explosive tag that failed to detonate. She had fallen into his trap the moment she cast her shadow onto the chakra-imbued tag.

"Shikamaru was a fool for revealing the full range of his technique to you in the first place," Shikaku continued to hold her in the shadow bind, "Next time, Temari-san, I wouldn't base your strategy on information gleaned years ago from your opponent's adolescent son."

They were standing just inches apart now and he reached into his weapons pouch for a kunai, slowly bringing it to her neck. She had no response to that. It's true she had gotten cocky. Instead of incapacitating him as soon as possible, she had tried to play with him a little too much. In the end it was he who had been playing games with her the whole time.

Even in the face of her loss and with a kunai to her neck, paralyzed by the shadow weilder, she held his gaze unabashedly. The deep pools of her turquoise eyes shone with intensity. Shikaku felt a shiver run down the back of his neck. He may have her under his shadows, but he felt as though her eyes hold him captive, as he was unable to look away from her.

He lowered the kunai, releasing her from his jutsu, but she did not move, rather, she continued to hold his gaze.

"You truly deserve your reputation and a strategist and as a fighter, Shikaku-san," she conceded, closing her tessen and slinging it over her shoulder.

"As do you Temari-san," he responded. They had both been holding back, he knew. What use was it to lay down all your cards in a friendly match? She barely seemed tired after their fight, her chakra level clearly still high. He wondered what she was like at full force.

"We should get back and prepare for today's meetings," she said. As they began to walk back towards town, she added, "of course, I hope that tomorrow I'll have another chance to best you."

Later that morning, they sat, as the day before, in the office of the Kazekage for another meeting.

Temari tried to focus on the discussion, but couldn't help but keep her focus from shifting back to Shikaku, who was seated across the table from Gaara. She had not expected to lose the spar that morning, and felt the need to reevaluate the assumptions about the older man.

He was physically and mentally fast, more so than his son, and she couldn't help but wonder what gears were turning in his head as they continued to discuss the future of relations between Suna and Konoha.

Unbeknownst to the kunoichi, Shikaku was far from focused on the talks. He couldn't get the blonde kunoichi from his head. He looked over to her only to find she was already staring at him intently. He held her gaze for a moment, then snapped his attention back to the treaty.

After the meeting adjourned, they were invited by Kankuro to go out for drinks to celebrate the meeting. It was clear that of the three sand siblings he was the least serious. In any case, he more than enjoyed a night out with the puppeteer and his travel companions from Konoha. Kankuro seemed committed to having them sample every sake produced in the Wind country, as well as a curious hard liquour produced from some sort of cactus plant grown in the area. By the end of the night, Shikaku had definitely drank more than he intended, but he was proud of his ability to hold his liquour—to the point that some thought he had a drinking issue, though he didn't think so—so he hadn't even thought to turn down the drinks as they were offered to him.

He stumbled back to the inn with Izumo and Kotetsu just past midnight. Izumo sniggered that Suna women were nowhere near as beautiful as those in Konoha. Shikaku raised his eyebrow at this comment, but before he could respond, Izumo sniggered "Ah, sorry Shikaku, of course I don't want to cause a diplomatic rift because of a comment on Suna women."

As he headed back to his room, he cursed himself for drinking so much. Temari had promised him another spar in the morning, and he didn't want to face her hungover. He downed as much water as he could before heading to bed.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Things will heat up soon, I promise ;)

Big ol' thanks to Shikamaru v Hidan for the idea for this match. In case it wasn't clear, I just stole the little trick Shika did with Asuma's knives in that fight to remotely engage the shadow possession.

And in case ya missed it that "curious hard liquour produced from some sort of cactus plant " is a shout out to my good old friend, Tequila. Bahaha I know I'm kind of treating Suna like a global desert mashup from Morocco to Mexico but I couldn't help myself.


	4. Chapter 4

Temari and Shikaku arrived again at the training field in the early morning light. It was amazing how quickly the temperature spiked as soon as the sun came up in the desert, but for the time being the air was still brisk.

"So what's the plan this morning?" Temari asked, "Do you have more shadow-play tricks up your sleeve, or should we settle this with taijutsu?"

Her deep teal eyes were sharp, but Shikaku noted that the confident smirk she had sported the other day was gone. 'Good,' he thought to himself, 'at least she's taking me seriously now.'

"Taijutsu it is," he agreed to her terms albeit a bit grudgingly "as troublesome as it is to fight a woman hand to hand."

"What?" she retorted, her cheeky smirk returning to her face with her hand on her hip. "Afraid you won't be able to land a hit?"

"Quite the opposite, Temari-san."

They both settled into their stances and after a moment of stillness they lunged forward at each other. Temari threw the first punch. Shikaku easily blocked, but she quickly twisted into a roundhouse kick.

He had almost asked for a taijutsu only fight the other day seeing as the terrain was so advantageous to her wind release, but he hated close-range combat with women. His own wife, Yoshina had been a chunin when they married, and a taijutsu specialist. Though she had retired when Shikamaru was born, like any shinobi, she had suffered her fair share of injuries. It had made it very hard for her to conceive, and after their first child, she had never had another pregnancy that didn't result in miscarriage.

The medic nins they had consulted affirmed their fears that there was nothing to be done. He had always hoped for more children, but that wasn't to be his lot. He couldn't help but think of he and his wife's predicament whenever he engaged a woman. He thought it quite smart that Temari specialized in long range combat as well as her focus on strong defensive skills, which left less of a chance for internal damage and blunt force trauma.

"Stop holding back," Temari chided.

She was unrelenting, and had been on the offensive the whole fight. While she hadn't yet managed to land a direct hit, Shikaku had spent the whole match blocking, only throwing the occasional punch when there was an opening.

"Or are you really just that bad at taijutsu?" Temari jeered, hoping to rile him up.

It worked, at least a little, and Shikaku started making his first real offensive moves. She hated it when people held back. Whenever it happened, she couldn't help but think it was because she was a woman. There was nothing she hated more than being underestimated by a man.

She finally managed to throw him off balance, and took the opportunity to slam him to the floor. She drew a kunai for good measure, placing it against his throat as he had to her the day before. He could feel the anger rolling off her. She was clearly not satisfied with her victory.

"So what is it then Shikaku-san—laziness, or incompetence?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Temari found the tables turned as in a flash Shikaku had flipped her onto her back and pinned her. He had grabbed the hand in which she was holding the kunai, but instead of disarming her, he wrestled her arm over until her own kunai was pressed lightly against her neck. His hand wrapped around hers so she was unable to unclench her fist to drop or reposition the weapon. The muscles of her arm shook lightly as she unsuccessfully tried to move her hand away.

"Any man in his right mind should do anything in his power to avoid striking a woman," he said, his tone quite serious, clearly angered by her words, "excessive force against a lady is what would be lazy, Temari-san."

"It's not excessing force, it's a fucking spar," Temari grunted out, still trying to pry her arm out of his grasp.

"And who do you think has the upper hand in this spar then, Temari?"

Her cheeks flushed. It was true clearly outmatched her in brute force (though strength was hardly the only factor in a good match). They both breathed heavily, exerted from the fight, but he was steady handed and controlled as she struggled from keeping the kunai from pressing into her neck.

She was suddenly focused on the proximity of their bodies. One of the advantages of specializing in long-range combat was that she didn't often come into such close contact with her opponents, and this was quite close indeed. His arm pressed against her shoulder, her well-muscled torso hovered just inches above her chest, his knee firmly planted between her legs.

She began to squirm against him, trying to get some leverage to push him off her, but even as she struggled she kept his gaze. He released her when he felt that he had sufficiently proved his point, but also aware that as she struggled to get away, her body was being pressed flush against his own… He felt lust starting to stir in his body but quickly pushed it away.

After their bout, they quickly headed off to prepare for the rest of the day. It was the last day of negotiations, with not much on the agenda other than settling the details of the delegation Suna would be sending to Konoha the next month to meet with the Hokage.

Shikaku made an effort to focus on the meeting though he felt Temari's eyes on him almost constantly throughout the meeting. Her just wished he had a better sense of why she seemed so eager to keep him in her sights. Did she not trust him? He hoped that wasn't the case, as it wouldn't do to have made a poor impression on the Kazekage's sister.

"My sister Temari will serve as our liaison with Konoha," Gaara announced before launching into a discussion of the details of the trip. Shikaku was surprised that Gaara wasn't sending a support team along with her but decided not to comment. It should be viewed as a declaration of trust, sending his own sister to another nation with no backup, and he knew that any suggestion that it would be unsafe for her to travel alone would anger the kunoichi.

Shikaku had hoped to have one last chance to talk with her, but at the end of the meeting she excused herself with a curt bow.

"I look forward to seeing you in Konoha, Nara-san."

Shikaku still couldn't quite read her, but he swore there was a glint of playfulness in her eyes as she took her leave.

The trip back to Konoha was uneventful.

As they ran through the desert, Shikaku couldn't get the blond kunoichi out of his mind. He had been looking forward to sizing up the leadership of the sand but had not expected his attentions to be focused on the sister of the Kazekage. Gaara was guarded and emotionally reserved but a very straightforward person, Temari on the other hand seemed more complex. He wanted to figure her out, and he had a hunch that she was interested in figuring him out as well, if her unrelenting scrutiny said anything.

Sabaku no Temari was quite something. Though she had attended the meetings in Suna, she had not participated much, and he looked forward to seeing her take the lead in a months time Konoha. He didn't doubt that she was as good in negotiations as she was with her tessen.

She was a skilled fighter, no doubt, he thought to himself, and carried herself with a fierce dignity even in defeat. Fierce, but also sensuous. He couldn't help think back to the way her body twisted in the wind as she wielded her iron fan in its deadly dance. She even walked with a slight swing in her hips that was almost sultry. And the feeling of her body against his…

He stopped himself, trying to think of something else. He couldn't deny he was attracted to the young woman. He was a married man though, and she was a foreign dignitary. He was more than capable of pushing aside any feelings towards her.

He quieted his mind and he ran on with Izumo and Kotetsu. Before he knew it though, her cerulean eyes, and her playful smirk drifted back into his thoughts.

Temari was relieved when the meeting was finally over. She needed to clear her head. Her spar with the Konoha nin that morning had thrown her off. From his reputation and his position as a top advisor to the Hokage was clear that he was incredibly intelligent, but she hadn't expected strength to match.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been that close to any man, other than Baki or her brothers, and it was stirring up a feeling in her that she didn't like. She remembered the feeling of his body pressing her into the ground.

The two scars marring the right side of his face made her curious. How had he gotten them? When he had her pinned to the ground she had gotten a close look at them, and had almost wanted to reach out and touch them.

Temari was used to intimidating others. Normally, people averting their gaze when they caught her staring them down, but Shikaku seemed completely unfazed and would stare straight back. It gave her shivers just thinking about it. She wondered if he gave that level of intense focused attention in all aspects of his life…

When she thought of her upcoming departure for Konoha she was filled with anticipation. She wanted to know more about this Nara Shikaku.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please take the time to review, I'd love to know what you think so far!


	5. Chapter 5

As Temari approached the gates of Konoha, she saw a familiar lazy chunin there to greet her.

"Hey crybaby," she greeted him tauntingly, "miss me?"

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru responded, "Follow me. We're stopping by Hokage tower and then I'll walk you to the inn."

As they walked she couldn't help but notice just how different the Shikamaru was from his father. Shikamaru walked with a slouch and gave off an aura of laziness. It wasn't just motivation that he lacked. His eyes lacked the sharpness of his father's. Shikamaru was a good strategist, she knew, but was far from the sharp battle-tried wit of his father. He was a boy, she realized. His father was a man.

Shikaku waited at the Hokage tower for the delegation from Suna to arrive. He held a calm exterior but on the inside, he was anxious to see her.

As much as he had tried, even after not seeing her for a month, he couldn't get her off his mind. Not soon enough, she walked in with his son, his eyes immediately catching hers as he allowed a small smile to creep across his face.

"Temari-san, I hope that your journey was a pleasant one. Welcome to Konoha."

"Thank you Shikaku-san, it's good to see you again."

They entered the Hokage's office, Shikamaru taking his leave, clearly not particularly interested in the goings on of their meeting. Shikaku knew that Shikamaru had grown exponentially over the past few years but still wished that he would get over his childish laziness and start taking more of an interest in the affairs of the village.

At the end of the meeting, Shikaku walked Temari back to the inn where she would be staying.

"I'm sure you're tired from traveling, but would you care to join me at the training field tomorrow morning?" Shikaku asked, "and in return for your hospitality while I was in Suna, my wife Yoshino would like for you to join us at our home for dinner while you are in Konoha."

"I would love to join you tomorrow for training and for dinner, thank you for the invitation," she responded politely before letting a smirk creep across her face and adding sassily, "You'd better put up a real fight this time though."

"I wouldn't dream of anything less."

The next morning at the training field, they both did a quick warm up, eager to start their spar.

They had agreed on a taijutsu only match at Temari's insistence. She wanted to get a real fight out of Shikaku, not the half-hearted effort he had shown last time they fought. (She also quite admired the forestation around the training area and didn't want to damage it with her tessen.)

They kicked off the spar, and while Shikaku was definitely taking advantages of openings more aggressively, she still felt he was holding back.

"What. Do I have. To do. To get. A good kick. Out of you," she said between kicks.

"I don't want to take advantage of your vulnerability," he responded as he blocked, knowing this would rile her up.

"Vulnerability?" she snapped back, "You'd better watch your family jewels before I hit you where you're _real_ vulnerable."

He chuckled at that. She was so completely different on the battlefield than at the negotiating table. The restrained and diplomatic sister of the Kazekage disappeared to be replaced by a feisty and downright crass opponent on the field.

Her anger was distracting her, and seeing an opening, he grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back and pinning her against a nearby tree.

"You get sloppy when you're mad you know," he held her body against the tree.

He expected her to shoot back a retort, but instead felt her arch her back just enough to grind her hips against him, a low hum, almost a groan escaping from her lips. His body responded immediately, conjuring up half formed fantasies about her that he was still in denial he even had. His intellect kicked in just a split second later, but not before she head-butted him, freeing herself.

"You get sloppy when you're distracted you know," she shot back at him.

He laughed to himself yet again. Now _that_ , he should have expected from her. If she wanted to play dirty though, she couldn't expect him not to do the same.

With a low sweeping kick, he set her off balance, and the spar quickly degenerated into the two jonin wrestling on the ground. He managed to pin her, her wrists caught in one hand with his other hand at her throat. He quickly loosened his grip around her neck to an almost feather light touch, his hand drifting from her neck past her collarbone, then slowly farther down her breasts.

"Shikaku-san…?" Her breath caught in her throat.

"Hmm Temari… " he whispered in her ear, "You want to play dirty? Two can play at that game you know."

His hand continued to trail down, over her toned stomach, his fingers snaking around her waist.

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Feeling his touch ghost over her body, she almost didn't realize that he was no longer pinning her arms. Her mind told her to use the opportunity to punch him in the face, but instead she found her fingers reaching up to his face, tracing the scars on his check that so fascinated her, then burying themselves into the hair at the nape of his neck. She didn't think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster, but it's pounding in her chest sped up even more, her focus now fully on the man positioned above her.

He had called her bluff, followed her where she hadn't fully realized she was leading.

Though Shikaku had wasn't sure exactly how he was expecting her to respond when he released her arms, this definitely wasn't it. A punch in the face and a string of curse words? That would have fallen in line perfectly with what he knew of her character, but this…? What had started as a flirtatious game had quickly escalated farther than he had bargained for.

Her fingers now entwined in his hair, their mouths only an inch apart, her gaze drifted from his lips back to his eyes and he felt her lean in...

Their lips barely brushed before he pulled away.

It took him another moment to realize his hand had found it's way to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. He released her immediately. The sand haired Suna nin had occupied his mind for a month, but he hadn't realized just how much he wanted her until now. He was exhilarated but terrified that his interest in her might be, as her actions suggested, reciprocated.

Now fully separated from each other, the nin grabbed the gear they had set at the side of the field in silence, not sure what to say to one another.

Temari's mind was racing. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but their playful spar had so quickly crossed a line. She was disappointed he had pulled away. Her disappointment surprised her. This man fascinated her and she wanted to explore him, know his body. She had suspected his interest in her back in Suna and felt empowered by this confirmation of his feelings.

He struggled to get his lust under control. His mind was running wild with fantasies of what he wanted to do to Temari but even if he couldn't keep his thoughts in check, he refused to cross the line physically with this woman.

"Well then," she broke the silence, "I will see you for dinner later this evening Shikaku-san…. I look forward to meeting your _wife…_ "

She headed off before waiting for a response. She didn't want to give him the chance to rescind the invitation.

What a troublesome woman. He cursed himself for the situation he had gotten himself into. He was at war with himself, wanting to so badly to spend more time with her, to know her, to touch her… but he had never betrayed his wife before and didn't intend to start. He loved Yoshino. She had given up her career as a shinobi to raise their son and make a home for their family. It was a mature and comfortable love he had for her, not the unbridled desire he felt for the young kunoichi.

That's all it is, he tried to tell himself. Lust… but he couldn't help but worry that his interest in her was much deeper than that, harder to push aside. She was not just sexually enticing, but also intellectually alluring.

"Damn it…" he said to no one in particular. He braced himself for the coming evening.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Ah to be a shinobi in love... one minute you're fighting, the next minute, you're doing something else entirely. Cliché, I know, but seriously, what a better excuse to get with someone you have the hots for than to be literally rolling on the ground with them.


	6. Chapter 6

Shikaku was almost surprised when Temari arrived at the Nara compound that evening. Almost… It was already clear that she had a bit of a sadistic streak and wasn't one to back down. She probably came just to take pleasure from how uncomfortable it would be for him. He realized he was getting ahead of himself. They had had a weird moment during a spar, that was all. It wasn't as if they were having an affair.

He tried to tell himself that she had come only to fill her duty as an ambassador, not to rub the tension between them in his face. Hokage-sama would be glad to hear that the Suna diplomat had dined with the head of an important Konoha clan. Isn't that why he invited her in the first place? He wasn't sure.

The meal was too normal. Temari complimented Yoshino on her cooking and the two women made polite small talk. Temari asked after Shikamaru, who was out on a mission.

Even her eyes behaved for the most part. He caught her in a lingering glance once or twice, before she turned her attention back to the minutia of dinner chatter.

His wife was thrilled to have the sister of the Kazekage in their home. Yoshina had also attended the chunin exams the day Temari had fought their son, and knew that Shikamaru was often her guide around Konoha.

"When will she be in Konoha next?" she asked after Temari had taken her leave.

"I don't know," Shikaku wished he did.

"We should have her over an evening that Shikamaru is in the village."

"Hm," Shikaku responded noncommittally. He could almost see the gears turning in his wife's head. What Yoshino wanted above all else was for Shikamaru to settle down and start a family of his own. Temari was smart, Shikamaru was smart, they were both young, they had a good rapport. He couldn't deny his wife was right that it could be a good match. He hated it though.

Normally becoming involved with a shinobi of another village would be a dead end relationship, but given the delicate but growing friendship between Suna and Konoha, a marriage joining respected clans from each of the villages would undoubtedly strengthen ties.

Lying in bed with his wife that night, he couldn't help but think of how it felt to have Yoshino's body pressed against his. Her warmth was soothing, familiar. It had been a long time since they last had sex, the frenzy of passion between them had long since faded into an easy comfort.

He loved her deeply. They had built a life together, a family. All of his work as a shinobi was to protect families of the Leaf like theirs, but he couldn't deny a resentment that tinged at the edge of his awareness. She was a was a woman of the will of fire but over a decade after retiring as a shinobi her body was soft—she was too relaxed, like a civilian.

He had married a shinobi, but her fighting spirit had been slowly crushed over the years. Her failure to attain the rank of jonin. The death of a teammate in what should have been a simple B-rank mission. The normal strains of a shinobi life were compounded by what she saw as her duty as a wife. She had difficulties in becoming pregnant. Her first miscarriage had completely broken her down. She stopped taking anything above C-rank missions, and as soon as she conceived again, she dropped off the roster of active duty entirely.

Shikamaru's birth was a day of joy and relief, but he knew that even as she held her healthy baby she grieved her lost career and her damaged body. They both wanted more children, but she only miscarried again. The doctor told them it would be impossible for her to have another child. She cursed herself for what Shikaku had admired in her—the strength of her taijutsu, her ability to take a hit and keep on pushing even when injured.

He had done his best to be supportive of her. He encouraged her to start taking missions again, thinking that it would help her to build back the confidence and sense of identity he could sense she was losing. But she refused. The kunoichi he married was not afraid of failure and wouldn't hesitate to die for her country. The Yoshino who lay next to him now was too scared to try to put up a fight.

They had been through so much together. She was a dutiful wife and an excellent mother to their child. He hated himself for even having these thoughts.

He pulled her closer to his chest.

By mid-morning, the border security agreement was approved and finalized by the Hokage. Shikaku did his best to remain as professional as possible. Temari asked him for another spar but he had politely declined her. His infatuation with the kunoichi had gone far enough and he hadn't gotten this far in life as a shinobi without exceptional discipline. As long as he wasn't around her, he was sure the feelings would fade.

She was leaving for Suna the next morning and the two nations had finalized a new treaty. There would be no reason for them to cross paths for a long time.

Tsunade seemed quite pleased with the results of the meeting, pulling out a bottle of sake from her desk as soon as she had signed the final agreement.

"This calls for celebration!" she poured Temari and Shikaku glasses, clearly not caring that it wasn't even noon yet and she was drinking on the job in front of a foreign diplomat, "To the Kazekage and a strengthened alliance."

She reaised her glass, downed it and poured herself another. Temari looked mildly surprised at this behavior but said nothing and politely sipped her sake.

"And now, before we wrap up your visit, Temari-san, there is of course the issue of the upcoming chunin exams."

"Yes Hokage-sama. The Kazekage looks forward to hosting the exams and is appreciative of your offer to assist us in planning and security."

"Of course! We do all we can do for an allied nation," Tsunade poured herself another glass, to Temari's astonishment. "Which is why I'm pleased to say that my trusted advisor Shikaku will continue to work with you moving forward."

It was now Shikaku's turn to be surprised. He was sure he outranked everyone who had ever been assigned to organize the games. Hell, his son had led the task force last time around and he wasn't even a jonin.

"Hokage-sama," he protested, "Are you sure there aren't other shinobi more suited to this task? This will require my absence from the village for at least—"

"Nonsense," Tsunade cut him off, "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of what happened at the chunin exams the year your son was promoted?"

Of course she didn't. The wind lost their Kage and Orochimaru's meddling had almost irreparably damaged the relationship between Suna and Konoha. That was years ago, though and the exams had proceeded without any incidents since then. Either the Hokage was going above and beyond to suck up to the Kazekage by sending him or…

"So what exactly did I miss at the intelligence briefing you had while I was in Suna?"

Tsunade reached into a drawer and dumped an armful of scrolls onto the desk. He raised an eyebrow, mildly annoyed at her tendency to just wait for him to catch on instead of actively keeping him in the loop. He always caught on though, so it was never really an issue. Temari looked relaxed and nonchalant, and he hated that he was the last one in on what was going on.

"Akatsuki is on the move. We don't know what they're planning yet but there's some evidence that Suna is their target."

"And they'll be striking at the chunin exams?"

"We don't know for sure. The chunin exams are always a hectic time for the host village, so we haven't ruled it out," Tsunade's paused and furrowed her brow, "We have reason to believe that Akatsuki has help from within the hidden villages. The chunin exams are a convenient excuse for having the two of you work together in Suna to gather intelligence and develop countermeasures in case of a tactical strike."

Shikaku sighed at this. Akatsuki was a force to be reckoned with, but this was even more serious if there were traitors within the village. They would have to keep the investigation as quiet as possible to avoid any leaks to the enemy of how much they knew. Tsunade downed her glass, refilling it again.

"Temari will be leaving for Suna tomorrow to deliver additional intelligence to the Kazekage. Shikaku, you will follow next week with the roster of Konoha genin participating in the exams."

He was about to ask if that was code for him carrying more intelligence to Suna, but Tsunade beat him to it.

"Don't think that looking into Akatsuki means you're off the hook for the chunin exams!"

He sighed. How troublesome. Their "cover" was going to be a lot of extra work on top of their real assignment. And while Temari was tasked with delivering top-secret info, he had the honor of enrolling a bunch of tweens in a test. This was off to a great start.

Though Yoshino was always faintly disappointed when he left for long missions on such short notice, she knew it was not up to him.

He felt that he should make love to his wife before leaving. He wasn't sure how long he would be gone. But he instead found himself lying still next to her in bed as she slumbered. It would have felt wrong to be intimate with Yoshino while thinking of another woman and he wasn't confident that he could keep Temari from his mind.


	7. Chapter 7

"Excited to see me, Nara?" Temari stood at the entrance to Suna, arms crossed, her trademark smirk on her face.

He was tired from a long day of traveling and wasn't really in the mood for banter, or really to think at all about whether or not he was excited to see her.

"Are we reporting to Gaara-sama this evening or tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow," she frowned at his non-response, but maintained her playful tone as scolding him, "Always so focused on work, Shikaku-san! You don't have to be so serious all the time you know."

"Whatever happened to the sweet kunoichi that met me at the gates last time I was in Suna?"

"Well, it seems that Gaara forgot to include 'sweet' or 'demure' or any such nonsense in the mission description this time around," Temari laughed, "Consider it a compliment."

Temari showed him to the inn where he would be staying. Shikaku couldn't help but watch her out of the corner of his eye as they walked. The girl was cocky, and it showed in every step she took. But had she always moved so sensually?

The next morning they met with Gaara briefly then Temari showed him to the cryptography building. There were a few recently intercepted scrolls they had yet to uncode. At the end of the day, he went straight back to the inn, refusing Temari's invitation to spar.

The next few days carried on in quite the same manner – wake up, research, administrative work for the exams, uncoding new intelligence, go home—until one evening he somehow found himself accompanying the blond Kunoichi to a teahouse, tempted by her claim that she was the best shogi player in Suna.

"You know the last time someone beat be at shogi I could barely throw a shuriken," Shikaku boasted as they sat across the board from one another.

She neither looked up nor responded until she had made her move.

"And when was that exactly?" She shot back, finally, with her trademark sarcasm "if I'm remembering correctly, you've never once managed to hit me with any projectile whatsoever."

Not missing a beat, Shikaku launched a captured shogi piece at the kunoichi, which she easily dodged.

"Is that your move this turn?" she smirked. He knew there was nothing she loved more than making people lose their cool. It was a bit ironic, he thought, seeing as she was such a hothead herself.

His eyes locked on the board but she could tell that he was barely suppressing a smile. He couldn't help but relax as he sat with her. He enjoyed the rapport that they had, and it's true that she wasn't half bad at shogi, not that she stood a chace against him.

"Wasn't the plan, but I wouldn't mind the handicap if you'd like to take your turn. It wouldn't be any fun to beat a lady too badly."

"Make your move already, Nara," the irritation was clear in her voice.

He made her wait another minute before he moved. Not because he was still thinking, just because he loved watching her seethe.

As soon as his piece hit the board she made her next move, capturing one of his pawns. He chuckled at her haste.

"What? Just because I'm not as slow as you old man doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

Hot headed indeed.

To humor her, he made his next move immediately, the game quickly degenerating into one of pure speed as the pieces clicked on the board.

"Damn it," Temari mumbled.

Shikaku was still about five moves away from checkmate, but she already saw there was no longer a path to victory for her. She made her move anyway. It's not as if she was going to just sit back and give up like his lazy son had at the chunin exams.

Temari was disappointed by the loss, even though she had been expecting it. She had been bluffing when she said she was the best shogi player in Suna. She'd gotten her ass handed to her on quite a few occasions by her younger brother.

"I guess you win after all Shikaku-san," she said with a smile.

She poured them both another cup of tea and ordered some dango. Shikaku was surprised that she seemed quite pleased with herself despite her loss, which was unlike her.

"Isn't it nice to finally see each other outside of work for once," she said pointedly, taking a sip of her tea. Shogi aside, she had won the moment he agreed to spend the evening with her, he just hadn't realized it until now.

There was no way she was going to let him avoid her his entire stay in Suna. She knew he was interested in her and couldn't deny that she was interested in him as well. Even though she knew he wanted to backtrack from the advances he had made, Temari was never one to back down. He had started it and now she would pursue him until she won, simple. She loved a challenge and it was more fun than shogi anyway.

They sat for at the teahouse chatting about politics and battle tactics.

"You know Konoha would be screwed if the Mizukage ever decided to attack."

"And why is that?" Shikaku asked, sipping his tea.

"Well I hear their top strategist has a penchant for going easy on women."

"I don't go easy on women, I just think it's unbecoming for a man to use excessive force on a woman."

"Even if that woman is Akatsuki?" Temari scoffed.

Shikaku shrugged.

"You should know better than to underestimate your opponents, it's going to bite you in the ass one day," Temari scolded.

"Like it did for you the first time we sparred?" Shikaku shot back, causing Temari to frown and blush lightly. "Do you really think I underestimate you Temari?"

"I may be younger than you and a woman but that doesn't change the fact that we are the same rank, both top advisors to our Kages."

"I never once suggested that I outranked you," Shikaku stated, aware that the conversation was veering into touchy territory, "and I have a great deal of respect for you and the Godaime Kazekage."

He wanted to mention the value more than a decade of experience he had over Temari, but held his tongue. As fun as it was to debate with her, on some topics he would be nothing other than crystal clear. There was no way he would even imply disrespect of the Kazekage and his administration.

It was true that the sand siblings were incredibly young when they rose to power, but in his opinion they were doing a much better job at managing the affairs of the Wind country than their father had been. He had been an isolationist and a warmonger. His children were more realistic, focusing on building strong ties with their neighbors to facilitate trade for much needed resources.

There was silence between the two of them, both seemingly lost in their thoughts.

"Come on, I want to show you something," Temari said, breaking him away from his thoughts.

Shikaku followed her back to the Kazekage building, but instead of going to Gaara's office, she took him to the rooftop of the building.

It was starting to get late but the midsummer evenings were long and the sun was just setting on the edge of the desert. The sky shone deep orange, the horizon glowing red as the sun sank.

"Sometimes when I'm in Konoha, I get jealous of how green it is. The 'trees' we have here are barely shrubs, nothing like the Leaf," Temari said wistfully, "but nothing could ever top the evening sky in Suna."

The silence between the two of them was comfortable. To the east, the sky began to darken and the stars started to appear.

Shikaku shot her a glance and realized that for once she didn't seem to be paying him any attention at all. The gazed outward wistfully, almost lovingly at the dunes that lay beyond the village walls, which where now lit up in the golden light of the evening. She truly loved her country. Her devotion made him admire her even more.

The evening light illuminated her fair hair and she glowed with inner peace as she looked out at her village. She was so beautiful.

"Temari…"

His words snapped her out of her trance and she realized that he had been staring at her.

"I meant what I said earlier this evening, I hope you know that I regard you in high esteem as a fighter and as a diplomat."

"And how do you regard me as a woman, Shikaku-san?" she turned to face him.

"Temari," he let her name escape his lips yet again "you are unlike any woman I have ever known."

She leaned in, pressing her lips against his. His lips were chapped from the dry heat of the desert. Her heart skipped a beat when he didn't respond to the kiss, worried she'd pushed her luck too much in one evening. She began to pull away when she felt him lean towards her. His lips parted as her tongue explored his mouth. His hand found it's way to the nape of her neck, fingers buried in her hair. Almost as soon as it began, he pulled away from her.

"Goodnight Temari," he whispered to her, his hand caressing her cheek as he pulled away.

Temari watched him leave the rooftop, letting out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as he disappeared. She lay back on the rooftop, staring up at the stars that had started to appear in the darkened sky, just feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

She had never met someone that made her feel like this. She had never pursued someone like this before. She hadn't ever cared to think much about that aspect of her personal life. It's not that she hadn't been interested in anyone before, it's just that it always seemed to be at the very bottom of a long list of more important things she needed to be focusing on. She'd had her fair share of mission flings (because honestly, who hadn't messed around with a teammate on a long mission away from home before?), but never let them go anywhere.

She was a shinobi of Suna, and that was her whole life. Daughter of one Kazekage, now sister and advisor to another Kazekage, she was born and raised to be a weapon for the benefit of the Sand. Her family life and her professional life had never been separate for her, and that life had been all consuming. So how could she be developing feelings for a foreign shinobi?

She sighed, enjoying the silence and stillness of the roof until the night chill compelled her to go home.

* * *

The Nara's def have a chauvinism problem... *sigh* no one will ever be good enough for Temari-chan

Lemon coming up next chappie fyi :)


	8. Chapter 8

For the next few days work carried on as usual. Neither of them was quite sure how to address what had happened the night before, so they both opted to act as if nothing had happened between the two of them. Temari was sure that he wouldn't make a move on her, but she had a feeling he wouldn't reject her advances either. She wasn't in a rush though, and wondered if she waited him out long enough if he'd make a move after all.

The chunin exams were still a ways away, so either way, she would get what she wanted and would enjoy teasing him along the way.

Some days, they worked exclusively on the chunin exams, while others were dedicated to investigating the threat to the sand: decoding intercepted scrolls, reviewing old T&I interviews with captured missing nin, researching the potential targets in Suna and the most effective way to station security forces throughout the village.

At the end of the week, she was tired of waiting to see if he'd make a move. She was starting to think that he was more similar to his son than she'd thought, seeing as he clearly couldn't be bothered to take action. That evening, they both found themselves in the basement of Cryptography. They worked late, staying long after the rest of the staff had gone home.

"I'm going to call it a day," Temari said, getting up from her chair and stretching her arms over her head, releasing the tension in her shoulders, "So, when am I getting a rematch in shogi?"

"Not tonight, I want to work a while longer on this, I think I'm onto something."

"Hm, it's true that we have our work cut out for us," Temari said, stepping forward to look over at what Shikaku was working on—recently intercepted scrolls, not yet decoded. "How about this then. We skip the shogi, and go straight to the roof to pick up where you left me hanging."

Shikaku was constantly impressed by her bluntness. Once she had switched out of diplomat-hostess-mode, the woman lacked any tack whatsoever but somehow it worked for her. It just played into her aloof sensuality and devil-may-care attitude. He couldn't help but notice her cleavage as she leaned over the table.

He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to focus so he could finish his work. He wanted to finish his work so he could go back to Konoha away from the temptress that he couldn't seem to escape. He wanted her to stay away from him. He wanted…

Temari let out a gasp as Shikaku pinned her against the wall.

"Troublesome woman…" he growled into her ear, "is this what you want?"

He pulled himself away from her just far enough so that they weren't touching. His hands planted on the wall on either side of the kunoichi.

Temari smirked and made to lean forward and claim his lips, but found she was immobilized. She was trapped in his shadow.

"What…?" Before she could formulate a full question, she felt her hands start to move, one running down her thigh, while the other rose to caress her breast. She felt her face turn bright red.

"Shikaku, what are you…?"

Her body moved despite herself, still locked under his control. She realized she was untying the obi of her kimono slowly, deliberately. Her hands reached underneath the loosened fabric. She shuddered as her hand reached her own entrance, which was wet from arousal. Shikaku watched wordlessly as she gasped, rubbing herself and then sliding her fingers inside herself with a moan.

He wanted to touch her, for it to be his hands that explored her body and drew the mewls of pleasure from her lips but he couldn't. He had always been faithful to his wife, never strayed from her. He had been able to justify it at first. It was just a sparring match gone too far, and nothing more. Just a fantasy he couldn't get out of his head but hadn't acted on, nothing more. Just one brief kiss on a rooftop that she had initiated and he had pulled away from, nothing more.

But this… he drew in a sharp breath as she moaned, his shadow possession causing her hand to push away the fabric of her kimono to reveal her breast. This he knew full well was beyond justifiable. But part of him still clung to the notion that he hadn't betrayed his wife because he hadn't touched her, not with his own hands. He was just here, and she was the one touching herself, arousing herself. He knew this was delusional. He had crossed the line long ago, and he knew that there was no going back. He simply didn't have the will power to pull himself away from the kunoichi in front of him, now stripped half naked, revealing her luscious curves and the tautness of her stomach.

"What have you done to me," he groaned, his arousal growing, testing the limits of his self-control. Even under the control of the jutsu, she was trembling with pleasure.

"Temari, tell me what you want," Shikaku demanded huskily.

"I want you to touch me," she said breathily.

And he complied, leaning in to kiss her neck. His hands running greedily over her body.

"And I want to touch you," she gasped, as she felt his hips press against hers, his erection evident through his pants.

"Then touch me."

He released the jutsu and leaned in for a heated kiss. She moaned into his mouth. Making the most of her newfound freedom of movement, she pulled him closer. Reaching up his shirt, she felt the toned muscles of his chest through his mesh armor. She began to unfasten his pants and had almost gotten them off his hips, when he grabbed both her wrists.

"Not here," he caught her gaze, finding her eyes glazed over with lust. He wanted to be able to take full advantage of her body. He wanted to take his time and make her scream his name, and an official government building was definitely not the best place for that.

"Please…" Temari seemed to be having trouble forming a coherent thought, and he smirked.

He kissed her on the lips, then made a trail of kisses down her body—her neck, her breasts, her stomach… she gasped as he kissed her inner thigh, coaxing her legs apart with his hands. Then he reached his fingers inside her. His cock twitched as he felt how soaking wet she was. Reaching inside of her for the spot that he knew would make her cry out his name, his tongue found its way to her clit.

Temari's breath caught in her throat, barely able to process the sensory overload that she was experiencing. She grasped at his hair as his fingers thrust in and out of her while he continued to pleasure her with his tongue.

This was not anything like the quickies she had experienced during her mission flings. No one had ever paid attention to her body like this. She groaned as she felt his free hand grab her ass.

"It's too much" she gasped, eyes closed.

"Do you want me to stop?" Shikaku smirked at how completely undone by pleasure she had become. He paused the thrusting of his fingers, only to find that her hips bucked down to take them in again.

"No," she replied frantically, "I'm just going to…Mmmm"

He could feel her tighten around his digits and her hips spasm as she came.

He kissed her thigh tenderly before rising back to his feet to come face to face with her. She was panting and flushed. He kissed her lightly. He made to pull away from her but she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Take me back to the inn with you tonight," she whispered into his ear. It was a demand, not a question, and somehow he couldn't seem to deny her anything she wanted.

* * *

Wow! First lemon I've ever written, hope you liked ittttt. Sometimes when I was writing this fic I felt like I should just edit it so that it would be ShikamaruXTemari. I still don't fully understand how this total crack pairing drew me in so much but here you have it! There's more potential for some real juicy angst with this pairing which is I think why I dig it *shrug*

I was planning on writing the back-at-the-inn lemon as well but had some citrus writer's block (writer's scurvy?) so instead of letting it get me down, the next chap is carrying on with the plot. If y'all request it in reviews, I'll probably come back to their first night together in a separate one shot. And don't worry! This will not be the last lemon in this fic.


	9. Chapter 9

Shikaku and Temari had made good progress on their mission, though they were still far from having the full picture of that planned assault on Suna. They had managed to intercept some low level missing-nin, and Temari had personally overseen the interrogations, which had been fruitful to say the least. Shikaku was just glad that Konoha was an ally of the Sand. Being on the wrong side of Temari in an interrogation was not something he would wish on anyone. He hadn't even known that she was a pretty skilled genjutsu user and quite…. creative. She was also leading the second section of the chunin exam and he knew she was quite looking forward to scaring the crap out of those kids.

They had used the new information to get a fairly good picture of how to distribute security forces. It was clear that Gaara was the primary target, but they were concerned that the visiting feudal lords could be viewed as hostages to leverage the situation in their favor. The enemy's numbers would be small, so they would be fighting smart.

Shikaku had developed an almost ridiculous number of contingency plans covering any way the attack might unfold, and they had relayed those to the Suna ANBU captains. They weren't sure which Akatsuki operatives might be directly involved, but whoever it was seemed to be constantly on the move and by the time they gathered enough intel to send out a squad of hunter nins, the trail was cold.

Overall, things were going as smoothly as could have been hoped. Shikaku was surprised at how well he and Temari worked together, especially considering their… unusual working relationship. Getting involved with a shinobi from another village was frowned upon, but fucking them during a joint mission on a sensitive diplomatic issue? While it wasn't explicitly illegal to Shikaku's knowledge (and he knew the law better than anyone), it would definitely be grounds for serious disciplinary action. Not to mention that his wife would probably castrate him if she ever got wind of it.

But none of the potential consequences stopped them from spending time together behind closed doors. He managed to maintain the line he drew at hooking up in government buildings. That was just too risky… though he came close to loosing his restraint when she'd tried to make a move on him in an empty interrogation cell. It made him think that maybe she had a kinkier side than she'd been showing thus far. She always caught him off guard and it was hot as hell.

Temari had just given an update to Gaara when she ran into Kankuro in the halls of the Kazekage building.

"So nee-chan, out late again last night, huh?" Kankuro elbowed her with a goofy grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Temari was not interested in discussing her nighttime whereabouts with her younger brother.

"Don't be an idiot Tem, we live in the same house all our lives and you think that we're not going to notice when you go AWOL night after night all of a sudden?"

"First of all, I've had a lot of late nights on the project I'm working on, and second of all why the hell is it any of your business?" Temari continued walking down the hallway, not even turning to face her brother as she spoke.

She loved her brothers. The three of them had unique bond, and there was not a single person on the planet that she trusted to have her back more than her two brothers. They were the only family she had, and the only family she needed. But that didn't mean they weren't a pain in the ass.

"Late nights on your project, huh?" Kankuro glowered, his grin disapearing, "That is exactly why it's my business Temari. I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you're sneaking around with that Konoha nin, I—"

"What part of 'it's none of your business' did you not understand?" Temari snapped at him, cutting him off, "Kankuro, I'm a fucking adult and what I do on my own time and who I do it with is none of your concern."

"Look, I get it that you don't want me prying about who you're getting nasty with, and trust me, I don't like it either! Just be careful, alright? I don't trust pineapple head," Kankuro trailed off momentarily, before adding, "Isn't that a political disaster waiting to happen? And isn't he like twice your age? You fought his _kid_ at the fucking chunin exams—his _kid_ , Temari!"

"It's not Shikaku, ok!?" Temari snapped again. She figured her brothers had noticed her absences. She had just hoped that they wouldn't think too much of it, and definitely hadn't expected Kankuro to confront her about it. "Now knock it off with your unhealthy obsession with my sex life."

"Fine," Kankuro conceded, but she doubted he was buying it. After a pause, he continued, "Gaara won't say anything because he's Gaara, but that doesn't mean he isn't noticing this and that he's not concerned."

Temari felt her anger flare up inside her.

"Gaara has nothing to be concerned about."

"Look Tem, we're just trying to look out for you, ok?" Kankuro sighed, raising his hands to indicate that he was backing down, "Just be careful."

He hadn't wanted to upset her but he wasn't sure how else to approach this. Maybe he had been too blunt, but that was just how he and his siblings communicated with each other. He trusted her loyalty completely, but in this case he couldn't help but question her judgment. He knew she was lying about Nara. He had followed them one night and saw them head in to the inn together. He had felt a little bad about invading her privacy, but she also should know to be more careful than that.

She was at the center of Suna politics, and her actions reflected on the Kazekage. They may be allied with the Leaf, but an international extramarital affair between top advisors to the Kages was a hot mess in the making.

* * *

I know this one's a little short, but next one is the chunin exams! and I wanted that one to have it's own chap, so there ya go. Also, some citrusy goodness coming up so check it outtt.

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

After Kankuro confronted her about her nighttime absences, she started spending even more nights with Shikaku. Practically every night in fact. She was more careful though. She would have dinner with her brothers, retreat to her bedroom, lock her door, and then head straight out the window and off to see Shikaku. She didn't ever ask, she just showed up at his window and climbed into his bed. He never complained.

She often snuck off at dawn to train before he awoke. He was still not completely adjusted to the rhythm of the day in Suna. The sun rose early, giving a brief window of pleasant weather before the day heated up too much to make training practical or enjoyable. The streets would bustle with activity at daybreak, then everything would lull at midday only to pick up again in the evening.

On this particular morning, he woke to find her tracing her fingers lightly against the scars that littered his chest. She was fascinated with the story of his body. Every new mark she found on him she wanted to hear how, when, and where he got it. She was a warrior at heart, and she felt like she could relate to him best when they talked about the battles they had fought in. It was uncomplicated, a way to avoid talking about family, or the future, or all those other things that healthy couples probably talked about as they lay in bed together.

Her body had very few scars in comparison to his. She was a long-range fighter and more often than not had been on a team with Gaara, who was legendary for his 'ultimate defense' making it hard for anyone to land a real hit. She wouldn't admit it outloud, but she was jealous of the markings on his body that were clear proof of how he'd fought for his village.

"Find something new?" he asked, his voice still gruff from sleep.

"No, just enjoying the view," she continued to run her fingertips lightly over his skin. She was propped up on her left arm, the tangled sheets covering her hips, leaving her upper body fully exposed. She wasn't the only one enjoying the view. "Hmm, well maybe I have found something new after all."

Her hand had reached down to grasp his growing erection. He groaned as she leaned in for a kiss. He rolled her over onto her back, grinding his hips against hers as his hands grasped her unruly hair. They kissed languidly, enjoying the feel of her body underneath his as she arched against him. Her appetite for him was almost insatiable, which served him quite well.

"It's almost 7:00 AM, we should get to the site of the exams," he pulled away for a moment, brushing her hair out of her face tenderly.

"Mmm" Temari moaned, furrowing her brow in protest, "Early morning security not our job. That's on ANBU. Feudal lords not here 'til tomorrow anyway." She punctuated each sentence with a kiss, each time with a little more fervor, delving her tongue deeper into his mouth.

She smirked as she felt him give in to her, his hands gripping her hips as he ground against her.

She felt the tip of his member against her entrance and let out a breath as he pressed into her. He moaned as her tightness engulfed him. He pressed his forehead against hers as he thrust into her slowly and deeply. Her fingernails raked across his back as she pushed back against him, repositioning her hips so he could reach even deeper inside of her. He pulled her leg up over his shoulder and sped up, and she gasped at the new angle, taking in his full length again and again.

Shikaku groaned. She knew from the look on his face that he was about to come and she reached down to touch her clit, pushing herself over the edge to come with him. His hips jerked, as he released himself inside her.

They lay there for a moment, catching their breath. He leaned in for a kiss and she moaned into his lips in protest as he pulled out of her and rolled off of her. He headed to the shower and she lingered in the bed for a while longer, stretching her arms over her head, letting out a yawn and then slinging her feet over the side of the bed. She could already hear the shower running.

"Not waiting for me to join?" Temari called after him, "Rude."

She followed him into the bathroom, working on untangling her hair as he washed.

"You've distracted me enough woman, I'm not going to let you make me late."

"I've never 'made you' do anything Shikaku and you know it," she smirked, joining him under the stream of water.

She thought of giving him a peck on the lips, but he looked distracted, and she decided to give him his space. She knew he was thinking of the exams. The first test would be today. Only the later tests would draw crowds of spectators that made it tough to manage security, but it would be unsurprising that the anticipation of all of their preparation for an attack was making him a little on edge.

Unbeknownst to Temari, even more than the attack, Shikaku was thinking about the arrival of the Konoha shinobi for the exams. It had been too easy to compartmentalize his involvement with Temari while he was in Suna, but seeing familiar faces arrive in the village, jonin team leaders he had worked with for years along with the bright faced genin that were the next generation of the leaf shinobi, had reignited the guilt he felt when he was with her.

As hoped, the day passed without any incidents, other than a few minor brawls between genin, which was only to be expected.

The second exam also went by without incident. Temari didn't bother going to see Shikaku that night, knowing that they both needed rest to be focused on the day of the third exam. The public tournament was always tricky for security. ANBU patrols were doubled.

Temari would shadow Gaara all day long, along with Kankuro—she wouldn't have agreed to anything else considering they had such strong intel suggesting he was the target. Shikaku spent the day checking up on the different security checkpoints they had established throughout the city and liaising with the division captains that were managing ANBU teams.

They had kept their tactical plan secret for as long as they could in case there was a mole in the village, and by strictly managing the flow of information and breaking down into small teams even if there was one defector, they would only be able to reveal the position of their team, not compromising the other components of the plan. If he had done his job right, he wouldn't have to lift a finger other than to assure that the teams stuck to the plans he had formulated to contain and subdue the attackers.

The intelligence they had gathered was paying off. Select ANBU had been carefully shadowing a few Suna nin they had suspected were tied to the plot. One chunin in particular had been caught sneaking around the village walls, and they had already detected and disabled a series of traps after apprehending him.

The crowd roared when the tournament began. The spectators were, of course, completely unaware of the threat. They were all hoping for spectacular fights from the young ninja, and many had placed bets on the matches. (Temari had even heard there was a pool going on how many deaths there would be this time around, which she thought was a bit distasteful… but on the other hand she was bummed that she wasn't allowed to place a bet herself as she was an official involved in the planning of the event.)

The scorching sun beat down on the stadium. The sky was clear. It was in the middle of a match between two Sand genin when Temari noticed what seemed like a large white bird gliding towards the stadium.

"Is it just me, or do birds not usually have chakra signatures?" Kankuro asked rhetorically. No, birds definitely didn't have chakra signatures, and this particular chakra signature was practically broadcasting murderous intent.

Temari drew her tessen, getting into position. What looked like a small rock dropped from the bird, right over the stadium. Before it even hit the stands, it exploded in mid-air. The stadium erupted with screams as civilians realized that the explosion had nothing to do with the match they were watching. The security teams sprang into action.

There was another string of explosions, concentrated around the boxes where the Daimyos were seated, as the bird circled above them. This lined up with what they had expected—a faint at the feudal lords to draw security away from Gaara.

As the bird circled closer, they could make out a figure in a black cloak with red clouds riding on its back.

"We need to push him away from the stadium, there are too many civilians here!" Temari called. Concentrating her chakra, she let out a gale of winds from her tessen, forcing the bird off path. On the tail ends of the wind Temari had conjured, Gaara sprung into action riding his sand after the bird.

"Gaara, don't take him on by yourself, that's exactly what they want!" Temari called after her little brother. "Damn it, he always has to be the hero."

Temari and Kankuro ran after their brother, hopping from rooftop to rooftop hot on his trail. Ultimate defense be damned, there was no way they were letting their baby brother out of their sight. They had just reached the walls to the village when they were confronted with another figure in a black cloak that blocked their path.

"Temari you go ahead and help Gaara, I've got this!" Kankuro yelled, already unfurling the scrolls where his puppets were sealed. She didn't hesitate, and hopped on her fan to glide off of the wall out towards where Gaara and Deidara were facing off. She barely made it past the cloaked figure before a long white tail appeared from under the cloak, slamming her and her fan to the ground. The sharp edge of the appendage had cut her arm, not deeply, but enough to draw a thin red line of blood.

"Where do you think you're going, girl," the cloaked figure growled.

Temari righted herself, but found that getting back on her feet was harder than it should have been.

"You want us to take you down first? No problem!" Temari released a blast of cutting winds at her opponent as Kankuro's battle puppets moved into position. She leaned against her fan, which she had planted in the sand to help hold herself upright after her attack. Panting, she realized that her vision was starting to blur. She shot one last attack at their opponent before losing her footing, everything fading to black.


	11. Chapter 11

"Temari."

Everything was too bright. She wanted to shield her eyes but her arms felt like lead.

"Temari, can you hear me?"

Slowly the hospital room came into focus, and she found herself staring up at Kankuro.

"Where is Gaara?" she croaked out, her throat dry and her body still mostly non-responsive.

"I'm here, Temari," a voice came from the corner of the room. She struggled to turn her head to the side. Relief flooding her when she saw her red headed brother sitting in typical Gaara fashion, arms crossed, impassive expression, on the other side of the room.

"What…?"

"You were poisoned by Sasori of the Red sand." Kankuro had notified a nearby medical nin, who was checking Temari's vitals and helped her to sip a glass of water.

"The defector from over two decades ago?" her voice slowly coming back to her. "Bastard…"

"Yup. Asshole completely destroyed my puppets," Kankuro growled, "A whole squad of ANBU was right behind us though. Akatsuki might be strong but we had every jonin in the village on his ass."

"Dead?" Temari asked.

"Sasori, yes. The explosion freak ran off though before we could finish him off."

"Coward."

"Temari-san, your exposure to the poison was low and we were able to administer the antidote quickly so you should be back to normal in no time," the medical nin made some notes on Temari's chart, "sensation should already be returning, but you'll have muscle weakness for at least a week. We just need to keep you here overnight and no strenuous activity and no missions until you've gotten the clear from a professional, alright?"

Temari, like any ninja, hated the hospital, and would've complained but she had a feeling she couldn't physically move her body off the hospital bed, so she didn't question the medical nin. Her fingers and toes felt great though, she thought to herself, wiggling them under the sheets of the bed.

"Fucking chunin exams," Temari grumbled. Her brothers couldn't help but agree.

Her brothers sat with her for a while longer, debriefing her on the attack and on the next steps they would be taking. They had completed the first round of the tournament so candidates would be judged on their before the attack and the rest of the tournament was called off. There had been some injuries among civilians at the exams but no deaths. Two collaborators had been caught alive and were being held for questioning—Temari made Gaara promise her that they wouldn't begin the interrogation until she was personally able to oversee it.

While spectators of the exams would leave the village immediately, visiting ninja would often stay longer, allowing genin to recover from fights and rest before traveling back to their village as a group. She knew Shikaku planned to leave with the other Konoha nin, and two of their genin had had pretty rough matches, which would probably delay their departure for at least a few more days.

She was grateful that it was all over, and grateful that her brothers were there with her. It wasn't long before she drifted back to sleep, giving in to the heaviness of her body.

She was discharged from the hospital the next morning, still feeling quite stiff and a little slow, but functional enough. They had given her a few medications to take to manage the symptoms of the poison and to fend of any opportunistic infections that might affect her weakened body.

She found she was ravenously hungry, and made Kankuro take her to get a huge lunch before heading back home. She spent the day napping and stretching. Now that her mind was clearing, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself for getting knocked out so soon after the fighting began. There was always room for improvement, and this was just more motivation for her to train harder to defend her family and her village.

By the late afternoon she felt much better and wanted to get her blood pumping a little more. She got yelled at by Kankuro after he caught her doing pushups in her room.

Gaara came back late in the evening. Some disgruntled feudal lords were giving him a hard time over the exams and Temari just knew that she would get dragged into helping appease them as soon as she was recovered. After eating dinner with her brothers, she went back to her room, locked the door, and slipped out the window. This may well be the last night Shikaku spent in Suna and she'd be damned if she let a little poison get in the way of seeing him.

Shikaku came back to his room late that night. He had been out drinking with a few of the Konoha ninja in celebration of the foiled attempt on the Kazekage and of the Konoha genin's performance at the exams.

He stepped into the dark room, the door clicking behind him as he stared back at the turquoise eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"You don't normally mask your chakra," he walked towards the bed.

"You don't normally live in a hotel full of ninja who would actually notice another chakra signature in your room," she responded, "besides, my chakra is so low from the goddamned poison there's not much to mask anyways."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, thanks, and yourself?" She could hear in his voice that his concern for her was sincere and she almost felt bad using such a sarcastic tone with him.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," He climbed onto the bed with her, leaning in to kiss her forehead. The day of the attack had been hectic. He had stopped by her room when he'd had a chance, but she was still unconscious at that point.

"I've had worse," she shrugged, "and the poison was developed in Suna anyway, so I don't really have anyone else to blame."

The last thing she wanted to talk about was the fight and the exams, but she also felt the urge to just babble on about what had happened. Talking battle plans was easy, but she had so much else on her mind. She just didn't know how to say any of it.

"The Konoha genin did pretty well for themselves this year," she continued, "and I heard from Gaara that the guy that got beat up so badly in the second exam just got discharged from the hospital today."

"We're leaving tomorrow," Shikaku responded directly to the question she had been dancing around.

Before either of them could say another word, they were kissing passionately. They stripped each other at lightning speed and Temari stradled the Konoha nin, running her hands over his broad, well-muscled chest as she ground against him. She didn't feel like talking. She didn't know what to say or how to say it, so she let all of the emotion she felt come through their frantic touches.

"I need you in me right now…" she moaned into his ear.

Without a word he flipped her onto all fours, pulled her hips back towards him, and thrust into her.

"Fuck, Temari" he groaned, his hands grasped her hips as he thrust into her roughly.

She arched against him, gasping as she felt his hand sink into her hair, pulling hard, then reaching around to fondle her breast. He needed to feel all of her, and their time was running out. He had expected his lust for her to lessen over time, but every curve of her body excited him as much as it did the first time they were together. He needed to be deeper inside her.

As his cock slammed into her, she buried her face in the pillows to hide her grimace. He was a well-endowed man and the force and speed of his thrusts were pushing her as much towards pain as they were towards pleasure. She knew she wouldn't be able to come with him fucking her like this, his usual attentiveness to her body gone as he gave into his frantic need, but she didn't care. She still wanted it. She loved the feel of his fingers digging into her hips as he grasped her hard enough to leave a mark. It felt right to let him have her like this, raw and animalistic. It hurt her to think about him going back to his village, his family, his wife, so the pain as he fucked her felt apt.

With a groan, Shikaku released his seed inside her.

He pulled out and lay beside her. She barely moved, letting herself sink onto her stomach, and laying her head to the side, away from her lover. She knew that she had gotten herself into this situation, she had pursued him and come into his bed over and over, and now she felt a pain in her gut as she thought about how he would be gone.

Shikaku knew she was upset. He kissed her back, then her shoulder, then her neck, but she didn't respond to his touch, laying still and continuing to face away from him.

"Temari…" still no response.

"Was I too rough? I'm sorry," he kissed her cheek, "please just let me hold you…"

She said nothing but rolled to face him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her, nuzzling her face into his chest.

She woke the next morning to the sound of the shower running.

She lay in bed, not wanting to move. She knew that she started this, whatever it was, and she went along with it knowing full well that it was a dead end. But she couldn't help but feel hurt, when she thought about how he was going back to a loving wife, someone he cared about far more than she. It made her feel like a plaything he was discarding.

She heard the shower shut off. He exited the bathroom, one towel slung around his waist, rubbing his hair dry with another. He sat down on the bed next to hear, rubbing her back. She was never this quiet, never this passive. She was always the initiator between the two of them and Shikaku was sure that the way she was acting just went to show how helpless she must be feeling in the face of him leaving.

"Temari…" he sighed, hating to see her hurting. She turned her head to face him but wouldn't meet his eyes. Hers were glistening with silent tears. "I don't know what to say, other than I'm sorry that this is how it is."

A few more stray tears slid down her cheeks as she lay there.

"Tell me what I am to you," she said, finally meeting his eyes.

"Temari…" he climbed back into bed with her, holding her still naked body against his chest. He showered kisses across her face, brushing the tears away from her cheeks. "You have been my everything here in Suna, but I need to go home, and we both know what that means."

He kissed her neck, then buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. She smelled faintly of sex from the night before. He felt a tinge of guilt in his chest. He hadn't wanted their last time to be like that, but also wasn't sure how he would have wanted it to be. Should he have made love to her gently? No, that would have been wrong too. He wanted simultaneously to be able to be more and less loving to her. He wanted to show her that he really did care for her, but also to take away the bond they had formed becuase he knew was causing her pain. It was impossible.

She clung to him but after a moment pulled herself away and without a word went into the bathroom, switching on the shower. By the time she got out of the shower all signs of tears were washed away.

They walk to the gates of Suna without a word. She did her best to carry herself with her usual confident swagger. At the gates, the Konoha nin were already beginning to gather, ready to head back. She greeted the other nin politely, thanking them for their participation in the exams, before saying her goodbye.

"Don't die, Nara. I hear the desert's a bitch." Temari said, with just a little too much bitterness, too much sadness in her voice for it to match her usual sarcastic tone.

* * *

The End. Just Kidding! There's more coming soon, just needs to be edited :)


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